Carcassonne

The weather in southern France has been rubbish this past week.  Rain, wind, cold, some hail, 5 minutes of sun and maybe a rainbow… all in the course of an afternoon.  A bit of Nova Scotian weather to help prepare us for our return.  After several days holed up in our Mauvezin farmhouse, the Hainsworth/Bennetts headed to Carcassonne on Thursday for the final sightseeing tour of our 2013 European odyssey.

Carcassonne is a walled fortified city (another World Heritage Site) built along the southern frontier of the French kingdom in the 12^th century, although parts of the existing fortifications were built by the Romans 1000 years before that.  Perched atop a hill and visible for miles in all directions, the fortress is a quintessential fairytale castle - the kind of castle that every kid imagines and tries to build on the beach.  After centuries of disuse, the French government was planning to demolish it, but some forward-thinking citizens fought to save it and in 1853, the castle was restored by architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, who also did the restoration of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. 

Inside the walls, most of the old cité caters to tourism, the unfortunate but inevitable consequence of a World Heritage Site designation.  Still, it’s a very charming old town and after strolling the outer ramparts, climbing castle towers and visiting the keep, we found a restaurant serving some basic regional fare and enjoyed an affordable 3-course lunch (cassoulet for Meg and me, savoury ham, egg and cheese crepes for Eva and Sarah).   

Eva demonstrates the wind strength on ramparts

On our drive back to Mauvezin, the skies opened (again) and the torrential rain continued through the night.  We’ve all decided that this cold miserable weather for our final few days is really a blessing in disguise.  Otherwise, it would be nearly impossible to leave this place.

Sweet tooth heaven